THE DAILY WHIP: TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2013

** Following debate, the House is expected to recess until approximately 2:00 p.m. At that time, the House will reconvene and take votes. Members are advised that any recorded votes requested will be postponed until 2:00 p.m.

Suspensions (2 bills)

H.R. 668– To amend section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, to require that annual budget submissions of the President to Congress provide an estimate of the cost per taxpayer of the deficit, and for other purposes (Rep. Messer – Budget)

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOKThe GOP Leadership has announced the following schedule for Wednesday, March 6: The House will meet at 12:00 p.m. for legislative business. The House is expected to begin consideration of H.R. 933 – Department of Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (Rep. Rogers (KY) – Appropriations) (Subject to a Rule).

The Daily Quote

“Anxiety is rising among House Republicans about a strategy of appeasement toward fiscal hard-liners that could require them to embrace not only the sequester but also sharp new cuts to federal health and retirement programs. Letting the sequester hit was just the first step in a pact forged in January between conservative leaders and Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) to keep the government open and the nation out of default. Now comes step 2: adopting a budget plan that would wipe out deficits entirely by 2023. The strategy runs counter to warnings from prominent Republicans such as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal against becoming ‘the party of austerity.’ Just as GOP lawmakers are tacitly endorsing sequester cuts to the Pentagon, long a sacred cow, they fear the balanced-budget goal will force them to abandon a campaign pledge not to reduce Medicare benefits for those who are now 55 and older. ‘I know a number of people who have real concerns about where this is going,’ said Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.), who said Medicare cuts targeting people as old as 58 are under discussion…. GOP leaders say the strategy has been necessary to persuade their right wing to postpone a fight over the debt ceiling until this summer and to support a bill on the floor this week to fund the government through the end of September.”